By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
10alert.com10alert.com10alert.com
  • Threats
    • WordPress ThreatsDanger
    Threats
    A cyber or cybersecurity threat is a malicious act that seeks to damage data, steal data, or disrupt digital life in general. Cyber threats include…
    Show More
    Top News
    CryptoLocker is Bad News
    12 months ago
    Debunking the myths of malware and antivirus programs
    12 months ago
    Security Week 38: Cisco routers under attack, bug in AirDrop, CoinVault cryptohawkers aressted
    12 months ago
    Latest News
    Two privilege escalation vulnerability in Simple Membership Plugin
    11 hours ago
    Wordfence Intelligence Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report (September 11, 2023 to September 17, 2023)
    7 days ago
    Exploring Winrar Vulnerability (CVE-2023-38831) | McAfee Blog
    1 week ago
    Two PHP Object Injection Vulnerabilities Fixed in Essential Blocks
    1 week ago
  • Fix
    Fix
    Troubleshooting guide you need when errors, bugs or technical glitches might ruin your digital experience.
    Show More
    Top News
    Surface Pro 4 teardown: Get a closer look at the components
    12 months ago
    How to reset Windows Update components on Windows 10
    12 months ago
    Windows 11 build 22610 with new changes in Dev and Beta Channels
    12 months ago
    Latest News
    How automatically delete unused files from my Downloads folder?
    7 months ago
    Now you can speed up any video in your browser
    7 months ago
    How to restore access to a file after EFS or view it on another computer?
    8 months ago
    18 Proven Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress Site and Improve SEO | 2023 Guide
    8 months ago
  • How To
    How ToShow More
    How to get the latest Windows 11 innovations
    14 hours ago
    Dynamic Lighting is now available on Windows 11
    14 hours ago
    Writing poems using LLama 2 on Workers AI
    Writing poems using LLama 2 on Workers AI
    14 hours ago
    serverless GPU-powered inference on Cloudflare’s global network
    serverless GPU-powered inference on Cloudflare’s global network
    14 hours ago
    You can now use WebGPU in Cloudflare Workers
    You can now use WebGPU in Cloudflare Workers
    14 hours ago
  • News
    News
    This category of resources includes the latest technology news and updates, covering a wide range of topics and innovations in the tech industry. From new…
    Show More
    Top News
    How to write in different fonts in Telegram
    12 months ago
    Windows 11 22H2 bug breaks package provisioning
    12 months ago
    Remove a certain Woo dashboard menu link
    12 months ago
    Latest News
    How to install September 2023 update with 23H2 features for Windows 11
    19 hours ago
    How to uninstall September update (KB5030310) from Windows 11
    19 hours ago
    How to remove the quiet mode icon in the corner of the iPhone 15 screen ProiPhone 15 Pro and iPhone
    2 days ago
    Sberbank has figured out how to effectively catch scammers – it will listen to everything you
    2 days ago
  • Glossary
  • My Bookmarks
Reading: Skygofree — a Hollywood-style mobile spy
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
Aa
10alert.com10alert.com
  • Threats
  • Fix
  • How To
  • News
  • Glossary
  • My Bookmarks
  • Threats
    • WordPress ThreatsDanger
  • Fix
  • How To
  • News
  • Glossary
  • My Bookmarks
Follow US
AppsThreats

Skygofree — a Hollywood-style mobile spy

Tom Grant
Last updated: 13 October
Tom Grant 12 months ago
Share
6 Min Read

Most Trojans are basically the same: Having penetrated a device, they steal the owner’s payment information, mine cryptocurrency for the attackers, or encrypt data and demand a ransom. But some display capabilities more reminiscent of Hollywood spy movies.

Contents
The promise of fast InternetForewarned is forearmed

We recently discovered one such cinematic Trojan by the name of Skygofree (it doesn’t have anything to do with the television service Sky Go; it was named after one of the domains it used). Skygofree is overflowing with functions, some of which we haven’t encountered elsewhere. For example, it can track the location of a device it is installed on and turn on audio recording when the owner is in a certain place. In practice, this means that attackers can start listening in on victims when, say, they enter the office or visit the CEO’s home.

Another interesting technique Skygofree employs is surreptitiously connecting an infected smartphone or tablet to a Wi-Fi network controlled by the attackers — even if the owner of the device has disabled all Wi-Fi connections on the device. This lets the victim’s traffic be collected and analyzed. In other words, someone somewhere will know exactly what sites were looked at and what logins, passwords, and card numbers were entered.

The malware also has a couple of functions that help it operate in standby mode. For example, the latest version of Android can automatically stop inactive processes to save battery power, but Skygofree is able to bypass this by periodically sending system notifications. And on smartphones made by one of the tech majors, where all apps except for favorites are stopped when the screen is turned off, Skygofree adds itself automatically to the favorites list.

The malware can also monitor popular apps such as Facebook Messenger, Skype, Viber, and WhatsApp. In the latter case, the developers again showed savvy — the Trojan reads WhatsApp messages through Accessibility Services. We have already explained how this tool for visually or aurally impaired users can be used by intruders to control an infected device. It’s a kind of “digital eye” that reads what’s displayed on the screen, and in the case of Skygofree, it collects messages from WhatsApp. Using Accessibility Services requires the user’s permission, but the malware hides the request for permission behind some other, seemingly innocent, request.

Last but not least, Skygofree can secretly turn on the front-facing camera and take a shot when the user unlocks the device — one can only guess how the criminals will use these photos.

However, the authors of the innovative Trojan did not dispense with more mundane features. Skygofree can also to intercept calls, SMS messages, calendar entries, and other user data.

The promise of fast Internet

We discovered Skygofree recently, in late 2017, but our analysis shows the attackers have been using it — and constantly enhancing it — since 2014. Over the past three years, it has grown from a rather simple piece of malware into full-fledged, multifunctional spyware.

The malware is distributed through fake mobile operator websites, where Skygofree is disguised as an update to improve mobile Internet speed. If a user swallows the bait and downloads the Trojan, it displays a notification that setup is supposedly in progress, conceals itself from the user, and requests further instructions from the command server. Depending on the response, it can download a variety of payloads — the attackers have solutions for almost every occasion.

Forewarned is forearmed

To date, our cloud protection service has logged only a few infections, all in Italy. But that doesn’t mean that users in other countries can let their guard down; malware distributors can change their target audience at any moment. The good news is that you can protect yourself against this advanced Trojan just like any other infection:

  1. Install apps only from official stores. It’s wise to disable installation of apps from third-party sources, which you can do in your smartphone settings.
  2. If in doubt, don’t download. Pay attention to misspelled app names, small numbers of downloads, or dubious requests for permissions — any of these things should raise flags.
  3. Install a reliable security solution — for example, Kaspersky Internet Security for Android. This will protect your device from most malicious apps and files, suspicious websites, and dangerous links. In the free version scans must be run manually; the paid version scans automatically.
  1. We recommend that business users deploy Kaspersky Security for Mobile — a component of Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business — to protect the phones and tablets employees use at work.

Source: kaspersky.com

Translate this article

TAGGED: Facebook, Malware, PoC, Security, SQL injection, Threats, Trojan, WhatsApp
Tom Grant October 13, 2022 October 7, 2022
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Reddit Telegram Email Copy Link Print

STAY CONECTED

24.8k Followers Like
253.9k Followers Follow
33.7k Subscribers Subscribe
124.8k Members Follow

LAST 10 ALERT

Two privilege escalation vulnerability in Simple Membership Plugin
Two privilege escalation vulnerability in Simple Membership Plugin
Wordpress Threats 14 hours ago
How to get the latest Windows 11 innovations
Windows 14 hours ago
Dynamic Lighting is now available on Windows 11
Windows 14 hours ago
Writing poems using LLama 2 on Workers AI
Writing poems using LLama 2 on Workers AI
Apps 14 hours ago
serverless GPU-powered inference on Cloudflare’s global network
serverless GPU-powered inference on Cloudflare’s global network
Apps 14 hours ago

You Might Also Like

Two privilege escalation vulnerability in Simple Membership Plugin
Wordpress Threats

Two privilege escalation vulnerability in Simple Membership Plugin

14 hours ago
Windows

How to get the latest Windows 11 innovations

14 hours ago
Writing poems using LLama 2 on Workers AI
Apps

Writing poems using LLama 2 on Workers AI

14 hours ago
serverless GPU-powered inference on Cloudflare’s global network
Apps

serverless GPU-powered inference on Cloudflare’s global network

14 hours ago
Show More

Related stories

How to upgrade to Windows 11 23H2 with Installation Assistant
Critical Vulnerability in Forminator Plugin
How to blur image background in Photos for Windows 11
How to download official Windows 11 23H2 ISO file
PHP Object Injection Vulnerability in Flatsome Theme
How to download Windows 11 22H2 ISO after 23H2 releases
Previous Next

10 New Stories

You can now use WebGPU in Cloudflare Workers
How to install September 2023 update with 23H2 features for Windows 11
How to uninstall September update (KB5030310) from Windows 11
Traffic anomalies and notifications with Cloudflare Radar
Sippy helps you avoid egress fees while incrementally migrating data from S3 to R2
the modern way to connect and protect your clouds, networks, applications and users
Previous Next
Hot News
Two privilege escalation vulnerability in Simple Membership Plugin
How to get the latest Windows 11 innovations
Dynamic Lighting is now available on Windows 11
Writing poems using LLama 2 on Workers AI
serverless GPU-powered inference on Cloudflare’s global network
10alert.com10alert.com
Follow US
© 10 Alert Network. All Rights Reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Customize Interests
  • My Bookmarks
  • Glossary
Go to mobile version
adbanner
AdBlock Detected
Our site is an advertising supported site. Please whitelist to support our site.
Okay, I'll Whitelist
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?